Advocates in Xiamen: Part 2!

AGCI staff and a team of advocates have arrived in Xiamen, China! Our team is working to upgrade the baby and toddler floor at our parter home with new bedding, murals, and fun extras to transform the space for 84 orphans!

AGCI team member, Kate McDodson, sent us the report below:

Day 2 of painting and we are making great progress! After meeting with the director and sharing our vision for the walls in some of the activity rooms, we got the green light to start painting yesterday. By the end of today we were able to fully complete one room and be almost done with another. After seeing our first finished room, the director shared how wonderful and beautiful she thought it was. She even told us she thought we were professionals! The painting will add so much color and warmth to the rooms and provide the children with some more visual stimulation.

Due to some bad weather, two of our team mates were delayed until this morning in Guangzhou so today was our first day of painting all together. We are so happy to finally have everyone here.

Today we were able to take a little break in our painting and visit the Special Care Unit in the Xiamen orphanage. The Special Care Unit serves children in two ways: they have one room for babies who are extremely medically fragile and a therapy room for older children with special needs. It is wonderful to see the care and commitment that Xiamen has for the children, especially the older children in the therapy rooms as many are currently a part of AGCI’s waiting child program.

It has been a busy few days getting the painting underway and so it was really great to be able to spend some time with the children. We are hopeful to be able to spend more time with these children in the coming days–maybe even in the activity rooms we just painted!

Everyone is still struggling with jet lag so prayers for sleep and that everyone wakes up tomorrow feeling great!